LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

i^iiT^ Cm^W ^^iJLi' 

81iellJ&43F3 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



iyY'jy^ 



,60' 




Eugraved i Lopv-^gtited by JA.LawPh ;<i( ''_'' EnsTDU,lS79 



nr- 



[Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1881, by Frank Carlos, in the Office of the 
Librarian at Washington.] 



^ Fallen Majesty, 

-^.^ FRANK CARLOS, c^'— 

Yes, in the gallery, tiventy=five cents ; 

Tiiat was quite a fall for me, old vian ; 
^hut 1 found the ticket you see , and hence 

I could afford this expensive plan. 
I'm out of the way of going to slio-ivs, 
Q Haven't money enough to buy a beer, 

Much less a comfortable suit of clothes. 

Or warm overcoat. I say, look here, — 



(bid you ever sit there, in the back row ? 

Of course not, because you v'e got money . 
I used to frequent the parquet below, 

<Dont laugh sir, because it's not funny. 
I sat in the boxes ; swallow=tailed coat, 

White necktie, kid gloves, hat, and so forth, 
And over the Op'ra fondly I'd doat , 

The crowd vainly guessing at my worth. 



I^y />/-'^' 3<i=>Ob 



o 



They set it at millions ; tJiousand it was, 

'ihit 'twas Inindreds of them without dottht. 
TJiey vanished at last. (Ijid yon ask tJie cause ? 

Well then listen to how 't ca\ne about. 
Will I drink first ? J^o, oli no, not at all, 

Seedy, Jmnf^ry and cold tJiat I ani ; 
I look like a. sot, and God- knows my fall 

Was caused by but one cursed dram. 



You see when I 's rich I met a poor girl , 

Who sang in the opera's chorus. 
She was pure as the snow, pure as the pearl ; 

jls the sky when, no ^cloud's before us. 
I loved her, site me; the day was at hand, 

When the stage she'd forever resign ; 
'■^ 'hut one fatal night, tlie devil had planned. 

To supplant all my wits witli liis wine. 



o 



/ lived with v,iy Vtiothcr , her only soii^ I ; 

Heaven bless her ^ she's lono; since at rest. 
I killed her sweet soul; I caused Jier to die, 

I; iniserable, cursed, unblessed . 
'Twas I thrust the knife, 'tivas I broke the lieart, 

'T-was I dug the grave of "my nwtJier ; 
^Bvit doubly a villain, to thrust the dart 

Through her soul to that of another. 



The party was large, tlie voices were gay , 

Which filled all my halls and my parlors; 
In honor of one, at no distant day , 

To be inine in spite of the sruirlers. 
^But a fiend, jealous fiend, caused me to drink 

Of a liquor I'd ne'er touched before ; 
T'.ien thrust me among tlie crowd, only tiiink. 

And I fell in a heap on tr^e floor. 



^ 



.« 



) 

/ sazv her no more, she even denied 

The privilef:e even to see Iter. 
From father and brother, drunkards beside, 

She hoped that her voice would soon free her 
I soon took to many follies of life, 

Yet from liquor and dice kept aloof ; 
I've thrown away all, gold, mother and wife, 

Ambition wrecked ; without food or a roof. 



O 



dNow to=nig]it, I sat in the farthest seat. 

Of the gallery for the first time. 
When the curtain went tip, how my heart beat, 

'Twas my opera, harkye 'twas mine. 
/ wrote it, composed the music as well. 

In the days of my vigorous youtli. 
'Twas all done for her, my angel, ma belle,— 

Don't doubt me, /c?r Vm telling the truth. 



K 



o 







J\low who played the role intended for her ? 

Only listen, I'll tell you anon. 
As breathless I watched, not daring to stir. 

And waited tlie next scene to come on.. 
Tlie first, — how it dragged, — but at last, at last, 

Wliile the blood was near bursting my liead, 
The wins:s rolled af^art, the audience vast, 

Were as breathless and still as fi dead. 



At last on the stage appeared the fair form,, 

Whicli was greeted witli shouts, and applause ; 
"My God it is she!" / exclaimed , as tlie storm 

Of applause died aioay, — autd it zvas. 
Yes, there on tlie stage, amddst rarest flowers, 

Stood the one I had loved, an.d had lost. 
Whose lips I had pressed In past happy hours, 

I the vas:abond, villain almost. 



^v* 



o 



o 



SJic zvas famed, ivitli at last -wcaltJi and Jicncv , 

I'd become hut a gallery god. 
dhit tliougli site, zvas the great prir.ia dor.iui, 

I IV as rich enough- then to applaud, 
(But at last when the scene rose to grandeiir, 

In a frenzy I rose up to shout, 
"Tis my angel, applaud I command ye." 

''But the audience cried, "pnt Jiini out." 



(bid they do it ? Of course. I -zvas hustled 
(By the crozvd, from my seat zvay up there ; 

Until dozvn to tlie street I zvas hustled, 
And out into the cold, cheerless air. 

I'm near starving, heart hroken, and frozen. 
And I zivandered about and in here. 

(But my heart's dearest zvisli had I cliosen. 
Was to see her rich, — Ugh, — never fear — 



'Tis the pain at n:y heart, 'tis tJie tliird time; 

Twice before it's been there; oh iny God! 
Such a pain, and to die in th,e prime 

Of one's life, 'tis the chasteninf^ rod 
TJiat punishes such sad rascals as I. 

(Bnt dont be alarmed, I'll go outside, 
And into the street and gutter to die, 

Sleeping with snow and the ice beside. 



TJiere, there she is now, I see her rum' there, 

(Dont you see her, so fair, dressed in wliite ? 
Her full, sad blue eyes, arui zvaving black hair, 

amassing tJiere between ine and the liglit ? 
She's gor^e, noiv Fll go; dont hurry me sir, 

Ive been thrust in the street oft' before ; 
I'm falling, — oh God, could I but see Iter 

Only one moment more, fust once more. 



Chr^ 



